


Ready As I'll Ever Be

by MimicMadness



Series: Ready As I'll Ever Be AU [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Attempted Murder, Blood, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Eudora Patch is Alive, Gen, Ghost Ben, Grace deserves the world, Horrance, Kidnapping, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, Lesbian Vanya Hargreeves, Luther Hargreeves Being an Asshole, Manipulation, Manipulative Ben, Manipulative Klaus, Murder, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Revenge, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, based off of multiple songs, because FUCK leonard, ben is like the only person klaus cares about, ben klaus and vanya wreak havoc, ben's pupils are star shaped normally, evil klaus, he also has scars over his eyes, his pupils are also a very pale yellow as a ghost, i gave vanya a love interest, i guess?, in the earlier chapters, klaus has newish powers, klaus has whit pupils due to his connection with the spirit world, klaus is the bad guy, klaus is very different from canon, leonard peabody can suck a railroad spike, revenge driven violence, she doesnt die because frick you, they're like a squids when he uses his powers, this is very self indulgent, what a tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-05-12 16:55:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 14,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19233268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimicMadness/pseuds/MimicMadness
Summary: Klaus always knew how to fake his emotions and manipulate others, but he'd never had a reason to, until now. Decades of growing bitter and honing his powers, will he and Ben take advantage of their sister's vulnerable state to seek revenge on his family?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Eyyy, first story on here! If you want some trivia about this AU and the characters in it, check out my blog dedicated to this au - https://readyasilleverbe-au.tumblr.com/

Klaus’ life had always been hectic. In the Hargreeves Mansion, he lived with six adopted siblings who all had superpowers, a robot mother, a monkey butler, and a father who was more like a dictator than anything else. They lived by a strict schedule and rules that included going out and fighting bloody missions against people the police could have handled fine. Klaus wouldn’t say he regretted his time spent there, though. Reginald was the reason he had met Ben, the only person who seemed to not have given up on him completely and the only person Klaus felt anything for.

 

However much he didn’t regret living at the Academy, he was only filled with feelings of resentment and bitterness toward his siblings and Reginald. His siblings saw him in the same light that they saw Vanya. Useless. Reginald, well, he only viewed his children as weapons and deemed Klaus to be useless because he was always high, always avoiding his powers.

 

Ben had died when they were all about eighteen and some of them had already moved out of the Academy. An overdose, on Klaus’ own drugs no less. By the time he had found him Ben was already dead and gone. Klaus cried a lot in the days before Ben appeared again, convincing him to pull himself together. That was when Klaus decided to leave the Academy for good.

 

Klaus knew what he could do, and he knew that he could do it well. Convincing the owner of an apartment complex to let him stay for free was easy, faking emotions and who he really was helped with getting money, food, and clothing. Manipulation  _ was _ his speciality.

 

He and Ben had been working on his powers ever since Klaus had moved out, and he had mastered them by the time he was twenty. He was able to make Ben fully corporeal and block out the ghosts.

 

However, over the years of honing his powers, Klaus had noticed that Ben was starting to grow the same bitter and resentful thorns in his heart that Klaus had. Ben, however, was not quite at the same point of harming the others as Klaus was. Klaus knew that all Ben needed was a little push, and he was happy to give it to him.

 

The plan was easily enacted. It wasn’t suspicious for Klaus to visit the Academy since he was there almost every other week to see Grace. So when Pogo called to tell him that Reginald had fallen ill, Klaus snatched the opportunity immediately. It helped that the ghost permanently tethered to him was pretty damn smart, too.

 

Klaus knocked out Pogo first and made sure that Grace was charging so she wouldn’t witness anything or try to stop him. Then he waltzed into the kitchen and made some soup, the kind he remembered Grace making for them whenever they got sick, and carefully added the poison as he went.

 

The look of confusion and shock on Reginald’s face as he died at the hands of his ‘weakest’ son was priceless.


	2. Chapter One- The Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other Hargeeves siblings make an appearance for Reginald's funeral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who now has an editor! Shout out to Tumblr user Ansafeil for the help with spelling, grammar, and suggestions! Chapters may also be subject to changes.

“I guess we should go,” Klaus mumbled, glancing at Ben, who nodded.

 

_ “They’ll probably be expecting you to come. If they don't think you're in rehab that is.”  _ Klaus snorted, taking a sip from the mug he was cradling on his lap.  _ “Who do you think will be there?” _

 

“Luther, definitely. Doesn't matter if Reggie sent him up to the moon for…?”

 

_ “Four years.” _

 

“Four years, he’s still loyal to a fault. Doesn't matter if that man took everything from him. I’m sure Diego will be there to see Grace if nothing else. Allison might be, but who knows if the news will even reach her in time.” Klaus paused. “I’d be surprised if Vanya shows up.” He finished.

 

_ “I think everyone would be. Lord knows Diego isn't going to be pleased to see her, not after her book.” _ Ben’s voice carried a ghastly echo to it as he perused through the pages of a thick novel titled ‘Invisible Man’.

 

“Well!” Klaus placed his mug on the table and stood up. “What should I wear?”

 

~

 

“Klaus?” Allison’s voice startled Klaus. He turned to look at her, flashing her a bright smile, before he stood up to hug her.

 

“Allie, darling, it's been too long!” He heard Ben snort from his seat on top of Reginald’s desk. “You look stunning! How have you been?” He ran his hand down Allison’s arm, who looked quite sheepish.

 

“I've been doing alright, Klaus. You look… great!” Klaus giggled and spun, his skirt and jacket flowing behind him.

 

“Danke!” He chirped. “Who else is here?”

 

“Luther and Diego so far…” Allison let her voice trail off as she looked out a window into the courtyard. They joined her at the window, looking down at Ben’s statue. “How long has it been?”

 

_ “What are you, like, thirty?” _ Klaus nodded slightly.  _ “It’s been thirteen years… damn.” _

 

“Thirteen years, if I'm right.” Allison nodded grimly.

 

“I miss him.” She mumbled, and Klaus felt a twinge of sympathy for his sister. She let her gaze linger outside the window for a bit before turning to face Klaus and, by extension, Ben. “Want to head down to the kitchen? I heard mom made cookies.”

 

_ “Just like mom to make cookies for an occasion like this.” _ Ben was smiling fondly as the three of them walked downstairs.  _ “Did you pick up the case?” _ He asked, turning to Klaus who nodded in response.

 

The orange lighting of the joint kitchen and dining area was always a welcome sight, especially when Grace had been cooking. Diego was standing beside their mother, helping her with washing the bowls, spoons, and pans that she had used to bake the cookies. A large plate filled with chocolate chip cookies was waiting for them on the dining room table, seeming fresh out of the oven. Luther looked over at them as they entered the room.

 

“Oh, hey Klaus. Glad you could make it.”

 

“Of course! I just.. had to prove to myself that the old bastard was really dead…” Klaus trailed off, feigning sadness in a way that intentionally fooled no one. “And he is! Yay!” He clapped his hands together and snatched a cookie from the plate, giggling as he caught Ben’s jealous gaze. Allison rolled her eyes. Luther opened his mouth to speak before the creak of the Academy’s door cut him off.

_ “Wow. I can’t believe she actually showed up.” _ Ben moved to peak out of the kitchen doorway. 

 

“Hello?”


	3. Chapter Two- Tense Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya arrives and things get tense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know this part was deleted. I changed the ending quite drastically so I'm just reuploading it along with chapter three

“What is  _ she _ doing here?” Ben stared angrily at Diego even though no one could see him and Klaus resisted the urge to cuff him on the head.

 

“Damn, it’s almost like she’s our sister and she’s coming to our father’s funeral.” Klaus snapped with an eye roll, which earned him a glare from Diego.

 

“Really? You still side with her even after that book?”

 

“Why wouldn't I? She’s my sister.” Klaus picked up two cookies from the plate and walked out of the kitchen. He made his way into the living room where Vanya was standing.“Van?” He asked softly. She jumped slightly,  turned around to face him and smiled.

 

“Hey, Klaus. It’s good to see you.” She paused and pulled him into a hug. Vanya and he had never been really close, not as close as he was with Ben anyway, but they had always been good friends and Klaus was glad to see that they still were.“Who else is here?”

 

“Rest of the siblings, sans Five. I don't know if you'd count Ben, but…” Klaus looked at the ghost by his side.

 

“ _ I  would count me. Also, you need to grab me a cookie for later, I want one. _ ” Klaus snickered.

 

“Yeah, sure thing, dear.” He turned back to Vanya and offered her a cookie.“Cookie?” She giggled and grabbed it, muttering a thank you as they made their way into the kitchen.

 

She was warmly greeted by both Grace and Allison, while Luther remained somewhat hesitant. Diego wasn't happy about her presence and didn’t try to hide it, which wasn't a surprise if Klaus was being honest. Diego was more upset about Vanya’s book than his siblings.  While they all knew they were awful, Diego hated the fact that she had put their souls out there for the world to see. 

 

“So, uh, I was thinking that we could hold a memorial for dad at his favourite spot.” Luther was the first to break the tense silence that had enveloped the room due to Vanya’s arrival.

 

“ _ Dad had a favourite spot? Since when? Dad didn't like anything. _ ” Klaus echoed Ben’s first question.

 

“Yeah, under the oak tree in the courtyard. None of you sat out there with him?” There was Luther confirming again that he was dad’s favourite, only because of how obedient he had always been.

 

“Well, when are we doing that memorial anyway?” Diego’s voice cut through the awkward silence that had taken the room hostage once again, twirling a knife in his hand absentmindedly.

 

“Sundown.”

 

“ _ Alright, we’ve got one chance to figure out who would be the best to join our side. That case will probably have  _ _ something _ _. _ ” Klaus nodded.

 

“Well! Now that this is settled, I'm going to go and take a nap in my room, call if you need me.” He waved over his shoulder as he grabbed another cookie from the plate and started to make his way out before Luther’s voice stopped him.

 

“Klaus, wait, there’s something else.” Klaus sighed dramatically and turned around, leaning on the doorframe. “I… I think somebody killed dad."


	4. Chapter Three- Talk of Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has a panic attack and Klaus has better things to do.

“You  _ what _ ?” Diego hissed, bristling. Everyone in the room seemed to share his anger, aside from Ben who was openly panicking. Klaus effortlessly copied the reactions of the others, ignoring the twisting in his gut.

 

“ _ Shit, he couldn’t have found out, right? We destroyed the tape! Did the autopsy show that he was poisoned? We weren’t careless, we were painstakingly thorough! _ ” Ben seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating and Klaus felt bad. Ben had always been an anxious kid, almost debilitatingly so. It was no surprise that he would freak out about this.

 

“Didn’t the autopsy say that it was a heart attack? Wouldn’t they know?” Vanya questioned, and Ben let out a breath. 

 

“Yes.” 

“No.” Diego and Luther answered simultaneously.

 

“Alright, big guy. What makes you think one of us killed the bastard?” Diego prompted, his gaze sharp and impatient. 

 

“I couldn’t find his monocle anywhere.” Klaus rolled his eyes.

 

“It’s a monocle, who  _ cares _ .” He groaned in exasperation, he was sick of just standing here and talking. He needed to go through the case he had snatched from the study and this might be the only chance he would have.

 

“Exactly. Who cares about a stupid monocle? Only someone holding a grudge against dad would have taken it.”

 

“Luther,” Allison spoke in a deadpan tone. “None of us have visited the academy regularly since we moved out.”

 

“Kl-” Klaus cut him off.

 

“I came here when I needed somewhere to stay, something to eat, or wanted to see mom. Don’t you pin this shit on me.” He spat venomously, drawing a few shocked looks from his siblings. “It’s not  _ my _ fault you can’t handle the fact that dad died peacefully while you were on the moon. You can’t blame us for his death when the autopsy  _ clearly _ states it was a heart attack. Did you go to medical school? I didn’t think so. So, how ‘bout you piss off with this whole murder mystery bullshit. There is  _ nothing _ to solve.” Klaus ranted. He didn’t care about the shocked looks he was getting from the others about his outburst, he had more important things to do. He stormed from the kitchen and ran up to his room.

 

“And scene.” He hummed, stretching as they entered his long-forgotten room.

 

“ _ Nice shutting down the topic. _ ” Ben sat at the foot of Klaus’ bed, cross-legged.  He smiled as Klaus made him corporeal and gave him the extra cookie he had grabbed from the kitchen before.

 

“Why thank you, dear.” Klaus hummed, pulling the case from his coat. “Let’s get on with our research, shall we?”


	5. Chapter Four- An Unexpected Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Ben read Reginald's book and the funeral goes on hold

“ _ Holy shit… _ ” Ben mumbled as he leant over Klaus’ shoulder to read along with him from Reginald’s journal. Apparently, Vanya  _ did _ have powers and dear old dad had decided that it was better to suppress them than to teach her how to control them.

 

“I’m not even surprised he put her on medication for it, bastard locked me in a crypt at eight to ‘help’ me with my powers,” Klaus said, flipping through the book. “Either way seems like we found our newest friend. I’m sure that once she knows about this she’ll want revenge.” Ben nodded, opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off by a knock on the door. He vanished quickly.

 

“Klaus? Are you doing alright?” Allison spoke from the other side of the door. 

 

“Wunderbar, dear. Sorry for my outburst earlier, did you need something?”

 

“Oh, uhm…” She trailed. “We’re beginning the memorial in a bit, out in the courtyard.”

 

“Alrighty, I’ll be there in a jiffy.” He answered, sliding his jacket on and fishing through his pocket for a joint he had rolled earlier. Lighting it on his way downstairs he snagged an umbrella, but before he was able to make it outside the house began to shake. He ducked as an array of knives launched over-head and lodged into the wall. “What the fuck..?”

 

“ _ Klaus? You might wanna see this… _ ” Ben spoke, nodding his head stiffly to what looked like a black-hole that had appeared in the yard. The others seemed to be outside already and Klaus ran to join them. “ _ Hey! Be careful, you idiot! _ ” Ben chided.

 

“Get behind me!” He heard Luther shout from the front of the group.

 

“Yeah, get behind us!” Klaus held back an amused snort as Diego cut in. The two of them were always competing, even now.

 

“What the hell is that?!” That was Allison.

 

“ _ Looks like a temporal anomaly… or a miniature black hole. _ ” Klaus could feel Ben’s frame huddled close to his, the ghost’s voice loud as he spoke over the noise. Luther voiced Ben’s thoughts.

 

“There’s a pretty big difference there, Paul Bunyan!” Diego shot back. Before they got the chance to argue some more, a figure appeared from the wavering hole, it seemed to be the body of an old man, but it slowly morphed into that of a teenager, before the portal vanished and left the person on the ground.

 

“ _ Is that… Five? _ ” Ben walked to stand beside their missing brother, who began to push his way into a sitting position. As he surveyed the faces surrounding him, his face dropped. 

 

“Shit.”


	6. Chapter Five- The Fun In Funeral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five makes a sandwich, they try to have a funeral, then they fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie dokie you'll probably see some more heavily hinted ben/klaus, mainly in the form of pet names

They decided to put the whole funeral service on hold due to Five’s sudden appearance. Klaus watched him buzz around the kitchen from his spot on the table.

 

“Where have you been, Five?” Allison was the first to speak.

 

“The future. It's shit, by the way.”

 

“Called it!” Klaus let a content purr seep into his voice. He loved being right. Ben let out a breathy laugh and Five rolled his eyes.

 

“Should’ve listened to the old man. Jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice.” He mumbled. “What's the date? Exact date.”

 

“March 24th, 2019?” Vanya replied, tilting her head slightly.

 

“Good good… we still have time.” Five’s voice was low. Ben furrowed his brow.

 

“ _ Wait, time? For what? What’s gonna happen? It better not happen before we can do anything… _ ”

 

“We’ll talk about that later, Benny.” Klaus kept his voice at a whisper. Five shot him a confused look but went back to the making of his sandwich. 

 

“Wait, so how did you get back exactly?” Allison asked.

 

“Well, in the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible timeline.” Silence enveloped the room before Diego spoke, an eyebrow quirked.

 

“That makes no sense.”

 

“Well, it would if you were smarter.” Klaus had to keep himself from laughing as Diego stood up and Luther put a hand on his chest to hold him back. Klaus tuned himself out of the rest of the conversation, simply taking another drag from the joint between his lips and listening to Ben ramble about some book he had been reading and how he wanted another one of mom’s cookies. He only snapped back to attention as Five left the room.

 

“Well, that was interesting.”

 

~

 

Eventually, they all ended up back outside in the rain and thunder. Ben huddled close to Klaus to get under the umbrella, even though he couldn't get wet, not that Klaus minded. Diego was the only one without an umbrella.

 

“Did something happen?” Mom asked. She had been rather moony since Reginald’s death.  _ Reasonable, I guess. She doesn't know what happened either way. _

 

“Dad died, remember?” Vanya’s tone was soft.

 

“Oh. Yes, of course.”

 

“Is mom okay?” Allison looked to Diego.

 

“She’s fine, just needs to rest, y'know, recharge.” He answered. Pogo made his way to stand by the rest of them.

 

“Whenever you’re ready, dear boy.” Luther nodded and took the top off of the urn, pouring it onto the ground. Klaus couldn't help but cringe as it unceremoniously hit the ground all at once.

 

“Would've been better with some wind...” Luther mumbled sheepishly.

 

“Does anybody wish to speak?” Pogo paused, then sighed after a long stretch of silence. “Very well. Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today, and for that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master, and my friend and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy-”

 

“He was a monster.” Diego’s voice was acidic as he cut into Pogo’s speech. “He was a bad person and a worse father.” He paused. “The world’s better off without him.” He spat. Luther glowered at him.

 

“Diego-”

 

“My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us real names so he had mom do it!” He snapped. “Look, you wanna pay your respects then go ahead, but at least be honest about the kind of man he was.”

 

“You should stop talking now.” Luther’s voice was strained as he spoke through gritted teeth.

 

“ _ They’re gonna fight, aren't they? _ ” The spectre’s voice held an amused tone.

 

“You of all people should be on my side here, Number One.” Diego sauntered his way closer to Luther and Ben laughed.

 

“I’m warning you.”

 

“After everything he did to you?” He cocked his head to the side. “He had to ship you millions of miles away. That’s how much he couldn't stand the  _ sight _ of you.” Diego snarled, shoving his finger at Luther’s chest to punctuate his point. 

 

“ _ Aaaaaand there we go. _ ” Klaus laughed, watching as his brothers fought, matching each other almost blow for blow. He vaguely processed Five walking back into the mansion, grumbling about ‘not having time for this’ or whatever. Ben and he shared a shocked laugh as Luther punched Ben’s statue, causing it to fall and break.

 

“Holy shit…” Klaus was grinning, he enjoyed a good fight and while he wasn't directly the cause of this one he enjoyed it just as much as if he had been. Eventually, everyone went back inside, Diego growling something to Vanya as he made his way into the house. Klaus and Ben stayed behind until they were sure everyone was out of earshot.

 

“Well, old man, I hope it was a nice show. I  _ also _ hope you enjoyed the soup~” He purred.


	7. Chapter Six- Ghosts and Sibling Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Vanya hang out and the birds work for the bourgeoisie

Klaus caught Vanya just as she was about to head out the door. “Van! Vanya, wait!” She paused and turned to look at him. He trotted up to her. “Hey, so, I was wondering if you’d like to hang out tomorrow!” She looked taken aback by the request.

 

“I, um, yeah. Sure. Do you need a place to stay for the night? I just called a cab, I’m going back to my apartment...” She glanced towards the door.

 

“Oh, okay! That'd be cool, as long as you don't mind.” He chirped, rocking on the heels of his feet. He saw a small smile making its way onto Vanya’s lips and they set off to her apartment.

 

It was quaint, a bit smaller than Klaus’ own apartment but he didn't mind. He chatted idly as Vanya set up a makeshift bed for him on the couch.

 

“So… what if I told you that I've been sober for 13 years?” He suddenly asked. Vanya looked at him.

 

“Have… have you?” She asked, smiling wide as he nodded. “That's amazing Klaus!” He giggled.

 

“Yup! And I've got some new tricks up my sleeve if you'd like to see one.” Vanya sat down and leaned forward slightly, a silent invitation for him to continue. He looked at Ben before conjuring him. “Ta-da!” Vanya gaped.

 

“B-Ben…?” She reached out a hand and touched his arm. She wasted no time pulling him into a hug. “Ben! I’ve missed you so much.” The ghost smiled.

 

“ _ I missed you guys too. Being able to speak to no one but Klaus was pretty boring. _ ” Klaus stuck his tongue out at Ben who returned the gesture.

 

“Wait.” Vanya stated suddenly. “Why didn't you tell the others? Couldn't you have conjured dad’s ghost to put an end to Luther's dumb theory?”

 

“If I  _ did _ say anything I doubt they’d believe me, plus, they don't need to know I can manifest the dead yet.” Klaus replied simply. She nodded.

 

“So, what else can you do?”

 

“So. Much. More.” He grinned ear to ear. “But I'll show you another time, we have plenty of catching up to do.” He hummed as he lounged on the couch, Ben sitting on the head of it. Vanya nodded and leaned back.

 

~

 

As they were talking about how the birds work for the bourgeoisie, Five zapped in. He quirked an eyebrow at the sight of the three of them talking about birds not being real before he shook his head.

 

“Christ on a cracker!” Klaus yelped once he noticed Five, causing Ben to laugh.

 

“Five? What's up? Is… is that blood?” Vanya eyed his left arm in worry.

 

“Nothing I can't handle.” He grumbled.

 

“I'm gonna get the first aid kit and clean you up.” And with that, Vanya left to find said kit. Five looked back to the two brothers. He spoke after a moment of hesitation.

 

“Ben?” His voice was small and almost child-like. Ben grinned.

 

“ _ In the flesh. _ ”

 

“Babe, you don't have flesh.”

 

“ _ Wow, rude. That's a very insensitive thing to say to a ghost, you know! _ ” Ben placed a hand over his chest in mock offence, something he had picked up from Klaus.

 

“Whatever. How are you here? You  _ died _ .” Five narrowed his eyes at the two of them and Klaus waved his HELLO hand, still glowing a faint blue, lazily.

 

“Guess who’s sober and can manifest the dead.” He stated boredly, opting to run his hand through Ben’s hair instead as the ghost that laid on his lap closed his eyes contently.

 

“Right…” Five trailed off as Vanya came back and began to clean and bandage his wound, scolding him lightly.

 

“So, what brings you here, Fivey?” Klaus asked. Five scowled at the nickname.

 

“The apocalypse is in 8 days.” Was his response. Ben sat up, star-shaped pupils widening. After a moment, Vanya stood.

 

“I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”


	8. Chapter Seven- Eight Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apocalypse and slumber party talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for mention of Ben's suicide

“How do you know all of this?” Vanya questioned, causing Five to look down. Vanya, Ben, and Klaus were on the couch, Ben having moved into Klaus’ lap to give Vanya room to sit, while Five took up a chair to the left of them. He took a long sip from the hot mug in his hands.

 

“Well, when I jumped all those years ago, I jumped too far and ended up in April 1st, 2019, right in front of the Academy, which was destroyed. When I found you, well, most of you, you were all dead.”

 

“Most of us?” Klaus furrowed his brow.

 

“I couldn’t find Ben or Vanya. Ben makes sense now, considering…” Five trailed off, looking at the spectre who had ended up dozing off against Klaus’ chest. “Then I read about it in Vanya’s book.” Klaus buried his nose in the other boy’s hair and Vanya and Five looked at him sympathetically. Truth be told, Ben was the only person Klaus ever felt  _ anything  _ for. Not just love, but empathy. He was devastated when Ben had killed himself and for the first time in his life, he cried real tears. 

 

“I know losing him was really hard on you Klaus…” Vanya placed a hand on his shoulder and he shook his head. He didn't need their pity.

 

“Go on, Five.”

 

“Well, I had to survive on my own for 50 some odd years. I lived off of what I could scavenge. You know the rumours about Twinkies having an infinite lifespan? Complete bullshit. Well, anyway, one day my former employer, a woman called The Handler, appeared and offered me a deal: work for them for five years to kill people who were a danger to the timeline, then retire to the time of my choosing. Well, during my work I worked on equations to get back and here I am. The Commission isn’t happy that I cut the contract early.” He glanced at the bandages on his forearm. Klaus and Vanya gaped, processing the information that had just been revealed to them. Five growled after a few moments. “Of course you don’t believe me. You’re too simple-minded, too naive!” He stood and began to walk out before Vanya grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

 

“No, Five, wait.” He sighed and faced her. “It’s not that we don’t believe you, it’s just a lot to process.” He frowned.

 

“Either way, I have to go. I have things I need to do.”

 

“You sure you don't wanna stay?” Klaus asked, looking at him from the side of the couch. “We could build a blanket fort and have a sleepover!” Five looked at Klaus and Vanya and rolled his eyes.

 

“Fine. Sure.” Klaus cheered at Five’s positive response, causing Ben to bat at him grumpily as he was woken up, and Klaus chuckled.

 

“Let's make a blanket fort! A huge one!” Vanya chuckled at her brother’s enthusiasm, and Klaus saw a small amused smile make its way onto Five’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VYBU I POSTED CHAPTER EIGHT BEFORE THIS ON ACCIDENT
> 
> Just wanted to say that you might be seeing the ben/klaus hinted at a bit more heavily for here on out.


	9. Chapter Eight- Slumber Parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slumber Parties, Heart-to-Hearts, and Guacamole

“And then he was like ‘I don't have any baby oil’, and then I was like ‘Well I have some guacamole!’ and that’s how I fucked the hottest Asian person in the gay bar!” Klaus finished his story and silence took over the room as the others stared at him with a mixture of shock and disgust.

 

“That's… almost impressive that you managed to get laid while using guacamole as lube.” Vanya eventually said.

 

“How would that even  _ work _ ?” Five’s face was contorted in disgust and confusion, head tilted to the side.

 

“You need to find someone  _ really _ kinky for that.”

 

“ _ It was a ride to watch, I'll tell you that much. _ ” Ben said, his mouth full of Oreos. Klaus laughed and Ben swatted at him playfully. 

 

“It makes great lube, Benny. Don't get jealous because you weren't the one getting f-” Before Klaus could finish Ben cuffed him on the head, causing him to pout.

 

“ _ Shut up, dipshit. _ ” Was all that Ben said, though his eyes sparkled affectionately.

 

“Anyways…” Vanya muttered, wrapping her blanket around her a bit tighter. “Who wants to go next? We all have so much to talk about.” Five nodded.

 

“ _ Why don’t you? _ ” Ben suggested, folding his hands in his lap, the fairy lights surrounding the interior of the blanket fort caused his ghastly form to glimmer. Vanya smiled.

 

“Well, I’ve been practising the violin a lot, which isn't surprising. I'm actually teaching kids violin as a part-time job! I’m a waitress, too. It’s not all that bad but it can get overwhelming, especially when you’re getting yelled at for things that aren’t your fault.” She explained. “I  _ did _ write my book… but we all know how that turned out.” She let out a weak chuckle, tugging her sleeve. “I'm sorry about that again.” The others gave her a reassuring smile. “Looking back on it, it wasn’t the best choice I’ve ever made, hindsight is 20/20.”

 

“Why  _ did _ you write the book in the first place?” Klaus asked, absentmindedly tracing the scars around his eyes with his nails, a strange habit of his.

 

“Revenge maybe? I’m not sure if that’s the right word.” She shrugged. “When I left the academy I felt hurt, like none of you cared about me and that you lot always thought you were better than me because you had powers and I didn’t. I guess my main motivation was to let the world know that you weren’t everything the media made you out to be, that you were just as bad as you made me out to be. But now that I look back on it, it came off a lot harsher than I meant to. Now that I’ve had the time to think things over and process my emotions with my therapist I’ve realised that I let my anger rule how my words impacted everyone. I wanted to hurt you guys.”

 

“You left Ben and me out of it though, was there a reason why?” Five asked, leaning forward on his elbows to listen to what his sister had to say.

 

“Well, you had disappeared when we were all really young, mom hadn’t even named us by the time you left. I guess I didn’t hold much of a grudge against you. As for Ben, it just seemed tactless to talk about our dead brother like that.” 

 

“Vanya, when I was trapped in the apocalypse your book was the only thing that gave me an actual picture of my siblings. Everything else was just Umbrella Academy merchandise.” Five placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as he spoke. “The book let me see how much I missed when I was gone. It gave me some insight into how everyone had changed, although maybe a skewed version of the events that took place. In the end, your book let me see how the dynamic seemed to have cracked before finally crumbling after Ben’s death.” He paused. “To be honest, I carried your book with me everywhere. Not only so I didn’t forget your face, but so I could write equations to get back to you guys.” Five tried not to let too much emotion slip into his tone, but he made it clear how much he missed his family. Klaus valued his life enough not to bring it up. 

 

“We’ve all made our fair share of mistakes,” Klaus said. “We won’t get anywhere if we don’t forgive each other. It’s just a matter of learning to apologize and knowing it’s not a weakness.” The medium’s words visibly relaxed Vanya.

 

“Thanks, guys…” Was her mumbled response. A comfortable silence fell over the room before Klaus decided to speak.

 

“Wanna tell spooky stories?” Ben chuckled, leaning against Klaus. Five shrugged and after a moment, Vanya nodded.

 

“Sure, why not?”


	10. Chapter Nine- Crushes and Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya has a crush and Klaus and Ben figure out their game plan.

They ended up falling asleep in the blanket fort, the yellow fairy lights providing a comforting twinkle. When Klaus woke up, Ben had left the land of the living and Five the apartment. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up, stretching briefly. Shuffling out of the blanket fort, Klaus made his way into the kitchen to make himself some coffee. While rummaging through the kitchen, Klaus stumbled across Vanya’s medicine while looking for milk or creamer and he snagged it from her butter compartment. She didn’t  _ need _ it. He’d help her on this journey.

 

Klaus was drinking his coffee, although considering how much sugar and cream there was in it it couldn’t really be called coffee, when Vanya’s sleepy groan told Klaus that she was awake.

 

“Mornin’ sleepyhead, I made coffee if you want any.” He called, a smile tangible in his voice. Should he tell her today? Maybe it was a bit too soon,  it was probably cleverer to ease her into things before dropping the bomb. Then again, didn’t Five say that the apocalypse was in eight days? Maybe it’d be better to jump in with both feet after all. Stifling a yawn, Vanya poured herself a cup of coffee and sat beside Klaus.

 

“Morning.” She glanced around the room quickly. “I guess Five and Ben left. What’s the time?” Klaus looked down at his phone.

 

“About 9:10? You have somewhere to be today?”

 

“I have rehearsal at noon.” Vanya answered simply. Klaus leaned forward.

 

“Oh? Do tell. I’ve never known much about any of the band and orchestra stuff.” Vanya seemed suddenly sheepish at Klaus’ interest.

 

“O-Oh well…” She stammered. “I'm third chair. The first chair, Helen Cho, hasn't been unseated for years.” She tapped at her mug. “We’re currently practising for a concert on the first! I think everyone is doing great, and I think I've come a long way with my skills too. There's also…” She trailed off, her face dusted in pink.

 

“Alsooooo?” Klaus leaned towards her, voice teasing and curious. Vanya let out a snort.

 

“The clarinet section leader and I have been chatting recently. I-I think she likes me? We’ve even been texting!” She took her phone out and showed the messages to Klaus. He smiled in amusement.

 

“Awww, my little sister has a crush~” he teased, poking at her cheek. She stuck her tongue out at him.

 

“We’re the same age, Klaus.” She pushed his hand away. “B-Besides it's not like I have much of a chance with her. She’s probably straight.”

 

“My dearest darling sister. I’ll help you on your quest to find love with this clarinet girl! I'm the best with dating, flirting and, of course, style!” He snapped his fingers to add a bit of extra flair, smiling as Vanya giggled. If setting her up with a date could help him to gain her trust more quickly then fuck it. 

 

“Thanks, Klaus.” She looked at her phone. “Oh, I should really start getting ready and everything. Thanks for hanging out with me, it was nice.”

 

“No problem! No time like the present to reconnect with my siblings. Just give me a ring or text if you wanna hang out or talk, alright?” She nodded and they both stood and stretched out their bodies. Ben looked over to them and stood as well, standing by the door. After a quick goodbye, the two of them parted ways. 

 

Ben and Klaus were seated on a bench at the park, basking in the warmth of the day. Ben was flipping lazily through a book in his lap while Klaus rummaged around in his bag for Reginald’s notebook.

 

“ _ So, what do you think we should do? _ ” Ben glanced to Klaus who pulled out the book he had been looking for.

 

“Well, on one hand, I feel like we should wait to dump everything on her until we’ve gotten her to trust us enough. On the  _ other _ hand, Five said the world was ending in eight days, right?” Ben nodded. “Well, maybe jumping in with two feet would be better in that case. We’re losing time by the second.”

 

“ _ But we also can't seem too clingy. I think waiting a few days would be ideal. Maybe sooner if something big happens but we don't want to come off as suspicious. _ ” Klaus nodded.

 

“What would I do without you?”

 

“ _ You'd probably be in jail or dead. _ ” Klaus snorted and resisted the urge to push the ghost. He didn't need people thinking he was crazy.  _ Well, crazier than I already seem talking to myself _ .

 

“We got our game plan?” Klaus asked with a smirk.

 

“ _ We got our game plan. _ ”


	11. Chapter Ten- Rehearsal and New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya almost cries, meets Leonard, then gets asked out by a hot girl who plays the clarinet.

Vanya internally winced as she fumbled to her seat. She squeaked out an apology for being late, to which the band director sighed and had everyone start from the top.

 

Rehearsal went as well as it usually did. Everyone played, Helen practised her solo, Vanya and Ellie, the lead clarinettist,  talked for a bit afterwards. When Vanya was in the bathroom and about to wash her hands she spotted Helen out of the corner of her eye. She smiled at her.

 

“Helen, you were great today. Really, really great.” Vanya complimented, although she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of her talent.

 

“Thanks. It's those runs in the Stravinsky.”

 

“I've been hacking at them for weeks and you just make-” Helen cut her off.

 

“Make them look easy? What's your name again?” Vanya shifted nervously under the other girl’s intense gaze.

 

“Vanya.”

 

“How many years have you been stuck at third chair? At a certain point, it's not about practice, it's whether you have something special. And maybe you just, don't. You can go and put your 10,000 of practice in, or you could find something you're actually passionate about and stop slogging away at Stravinsky like a scared thirteen-year-old.” Helen walked past her and Vanya fought the urge to break down at her words. “Think about it.”

 

Vanya decided to take the long way home through Bricktown to clear her head. Helen’s words really got to her. Maybe she  _ wasn’t _ good enough at violin, maybe she should just quit and find something else? She really wanted to go home and cry and hide from the world but decided that going out to get some fresh air might be better. She eventually found herself standing outside of an antique store. As she entered the store she was greeted by a man she assumed to work there.

 

“Hey! What brings you here?” He greeted kindly. She looked down to his name tag. ‘Leonard’.

 

“Oh, uh. I was just passing through the neighbourhood after practice and saw your shop and decided to look around and-” She cut herself off. “I'm rambling, sorry.” Leonard chuckled.

 

“It's okay, don't worry about it. Was there anything that you were particularly interested in?” Vanya simply shrugged as she began to wander around the shop.

 

“Everything here is so beautiful…” She murmured in awe. Everything in the shop seemed to be in pristine shape and must have taken loads of effort to be kept in that state. She flinched slightly as Leonard placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“I’m glad you think so…?”

 

“Vanya.”

 

“Vanya… I have some personal projects in the back if you’d like to see them”. As Vanya was about to answer him, her phone went off. She looked down at it.

  
  


‘From: Ellie <3

Hi, Vanya! I was wondering if you wanted to get drinks with me later? Maybe at 5?’

 

Vanya couldn’t help the wide smile that grew on her face. She excitedly texted back her reply

 

‘To: Ellie <3

Sure, I’d be happy to! Where would you want to go?’

 

‘From: Ellie <3

I was thinking we could go to the Blackwater Cafe?’

 

‘To: Ellie <3

That works perfectly! Can’t wait to see you!’

 

Vanya looked away from her phone and up at Leonard who was looking at her expectantly. 

 

“Oh, I’d love to but I actually have to go. Maybe another time?”

 

“Yeah, sure. See you later, then.” He called to her as she made her way out of the shop with a spring in her step.

 

~

 

Klaus groaned as the ringing of his phone interrupted his nap. He picked it up and put it on speaker.

 

“Hello?” Klaus’ voice was thick with sleep.

 

“Klaus! I need your help!” With that Klaus sat up quickly. He saw Ben panicking slightly, and started to wonder if Vanya was in danger.

 

“What’s up? Are you in danger? Say spaghetti if you are!” Vanya laughed and the two relaxed.  _ No need to worry about taking anyone out. We need to keep her safe at all costs. _

 

“No, no, I’m not in any danger. I’m actually feeling great, if not a bit nervous. Ellie asked me out for drinks and I don’t know what to wear, you’ve gotta help me out!” Ben snickered. Of course their sister would be a hopeless gay disaster. She and Klaus must have been cut from the same cloth, even if they weren’t blood-related.

 

“Pfft, yeah, sure. I’ll be right over. What time’s the date?”

 

“Five o’clock.” 

 

“Alrighty, we’ve got about an hour to get you looking your best! See you at your place!” With that, Klaus hung up his phone and stretched out with a groan. He slowly stood up and looked around his room, “Do I have any clean shirts?”


	12. Chapter Eleven- Dates and Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya goes on a date and is a gay disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i love gay disaster vanya

Nervous couldn’t even  _ begin _ to describe how Vanya felt. Even though she took her anxiety medicine she still couldn’t stop fidgeting. She watched Klaus nervously, playing around with some loose threads of the blanket draped on the sofa. 

 

“Okay!” He clapped his hands together and Vanya jumped. She heard Ben snicker softly and rolled her eyes. “So, nothing  _ too _ fancy since it’s just a cafe, but we also don’t want to go too casual.” Klaus seemed to be talking more to himself than to Ben or Vanya and she could hear him mumbling under his breath as he dug through her closet. “What’s the weather supposed to be like later today, Benny?” He asked suddenly.

 

“ _ Partially cloudy with a slight wind chill. _ ”

 

“Then I have just the outfit!” Klaus dug through Vanya’s closet for another minute or two before pulling out one of her sweaters, a pale blue and slightly baggy one. He put it next to Vanya on the bed before buzzing around the room and grabbing a pair of faded black jeans as well as a scarf. He flopped those on top of the sweater. “This’ll look nice. Now, I know you aren’t much of a make-up person, but I did bring some. Nothing too fancy, of course, but it’ll make you stand out!” He chirped and Vanya found herself smiling. 

 

Klaus had always been good with whatever few things he was passionate about. Cosmetics just happened to be one of them, so he knew that he’d be perfect to help out Vanya. The three of them made idle conversation as he applied light foundation, lipstick, and eyeliner all while doting over her outfit. Before she knew it, it was 4:47 and she needed to head off.

 

“You want us to come with? I wanna meet the lady who captured my sister’s heart~” Klaus draped himself over her shoulders melodramatically. Vanya pushed him off.

 

“Klaus, I love you, but  _ please _ .” Her cheeks were flushed pink with embarrassment.

 

“Fiiiine, I’ll leave the magic all to you. All you’ve gotta do is give me a ring and I’ll be right over, yeah?” Vanya nodded, waving to him over her shoulder as they parted.

 

~

 

If Vanya was uneasy before, it was nothing compared to how she felt while she sat and waited at the cafe. She internally thanked Klaus for the bracelet he gave her, it was made from beads in the shape of the solar system and was amazing for fidgeting. When the bell on the door rang, she looked up and her heart nearly stopped.

 

Ellie walked in, looking even more gorgeous than she usually did. Her wavey blonde hair was braided, some strands of hair framing her face, and her blue-grey eyes sparkled behind her round glasses as she spotted Vanya. She was wearing her usual gold earrings as well as a yellow sweater, ripped jeans, and boots. She shrugged the flannel she had been wearing off as she sat across from Vanya, and she was sure her face was beet red.

 

“Wow, you look great! I love your lipstick.” Ellie smiled at her and Vanya felt like she was going to have a heart attack.  _ Shit fuck she’s so pretty what the fuck oh my God. _

 

“Th-Thanks. You look really g-good too. Like…  _ really really  _ good.” Vanya internally cursed as she stuttered and stumbled over her words. Ellie’s smile told her that she didn't mind.

 

“Thank you, Vanya.” Vanya felt her heart melt and she felt like she was going to faint. Ellie was just so… perfect.

 

“Should we order?” Vanya was proud that she managed to keep her voice steady, Ellie giggled and Vanya nearly choked.

 

“Sure!”


	13. Chapter Twelve- Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya's date goes well and the Hargreeve's get attacked

The date went a  _ lot _ better than Vanya had expected. In the end, they decided that they’d meet up again soon for another date. Maybe it wasn’t really one, but the thought made Vanya’s heart skip in her chest and brought a spring to her step. As she pushed open the gate to the Academy she heard gunshots. She pushed the door open cautiously.

 

“Guys? Is everyone okay? Hello? Guys?” She called out, at least expecting Klaus to answer. But she was met with silence before she was hit over the head with… the mace from the living room? She barely had time to scramble to her feet before Luther showed up behind the masked figure.

 

“Hey, asshole!” Her brother shouted. Vanya took the opportunity to run to another room and hide behind a pillar against the wall. She focused on keeping her breathing steady and quiet, though she was on the verge of hyperventilating. She vaguely registered the fact that her head was bleeding. People were attacking the house, her siblings. The air in her lungs refused to leave her body and her feet were rooted to the floor. She needed to find someone, she needed to know everyone was  _ alive _ .

 

“Vanya?” That was Luther. At least he was okay.

 

“Come here, you!” She assumed that voice was the masked figure and froze as she heard the thud.  _ Hide. I need to hide. I need to find Klaus or the others. _ Her mind was racing. Everyone seemed distracted and she took the chance to bolt up the stairs and into her old room, which seemed to now be part of Klaus’ considering the knocked down wall that separated the rooms. She was alone and hidden.

 

~

 

“What are you still doing here?” Diego’s voice was nearing a snarl as he spoke. Vanya bounced her leg, she was anxious enough already. Hell, she was surprised she didn't have a full-blown panic attack yet.

 

“I’m just trying to help.” She said.

 

“No! You could've been  _ killed _ !” He snapped, but Vanya could hear the masked concern in his voice. “Or gotten any of us killed. She’s a liability.”  Vanya inwardly flinched at his words.

 

“Allison?” She turned to look at her sister, who looked sympathetic.

 

“I-I think what he was trying to say is that this kind of stuff is dangerous and-”

 

“I'm just not like you.” Vanya finished. She stood and walked out.

 

“That's not what I- Vanya Wait!”

 

“Let her go.”


	14. Chapter Thirteen- Torture and Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus is kidnapped and Vanya calls the cops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was heavily edited because how i wrote it before made me uncomfortable and i'm just now going through and editing everything.
> 
>  
> 
> also thanks for all the love! you guys make me want to continue and i cant thank you all enough <3

If he was being honest, Klaus almost went willingly as the masked psycho’s kidnapped him. Of course, he put up a bit of a fight, but he didn't use his powers or anything. There wasn't really a reason to do so in his mind.

 

Now, however, he was strapped to a chair in a shitty motel with the two masked people, whose names were Hazel and Cha-Cha as it seemed. He had endured around ten hours of torture but was feeling pretty well considering the circumstances. Klaus praised himself in being a sadomasochist. He leaned more to the sadist side but didn't mind whatever the hell others had in store for him.

 

He gasped for air as a wire was pulled tight against his throat. Ben was leaning against the adjacent wall, watching in amusement with a knowing smirk as he was tortured. It would only take Hazel and Cha-Cha a moment or two more before they noticed the boner that Klaus now had.

 

“Where is Number Five?” The woman demanded.

 

“Don't stop, I’m almost there!” Klaus choked out.

 

“Is that a…?”

 

“Yup.” Cha-Cha immediately unravelled the wire and Klaus had to keep himself from whining, physical torture was  _ nothing _ compared to what he knew Ben could and would do. Klaus laughed and was back-handed on the side of his head.

 

“What's so funny, asshole?”

 

“It's just that you guys have been torturing me for ten hours and you’ve learned absolutely nothing. I mean, nobody tells me shit! You kidnapped the wrong guy.” His laugh neared a cackle, but was cut short as he was hit again.

 

“Let's waterboard him.” He saw Ben smirk before they pulled his head back by the hair, placed a towel over his face, and poured water over it. He wanted to kick Ben but his legs were taped to the chair. Once they pulled the towel away he sent a glare Ben's way.

 

“You’re such an ass…” He muttered, which earned him another slap from Hazel and a giggle from Ben.

 

“ _ You probably shouldn't be talking to me, babe.?” _ Ben ghosted his fingers across Klaus’ jawline and he rolled his eyes in reluctant agreement to the offer. He heard the two walk away.

 

“What the  _ hell _ is wrong with that guy” Cha-Cha’s voice was sharp as she spoke to Hazel.

 

“He’s a freak just like his brother. Just another example of management sticking it to the working man.” Hazel huffed. Klaus was barely paying attention to them. He was too busy forcing his powers not to activate so he could just be done and over with all of this and go to the Academy and have some alone time with his  _ favourite _ ghost. Before he did so, he wanted to see if he could get any information out of them.

 

~

 

Vanya had been calling Klaus’ phone for a while now. At first, she thought he might have been asleep, but then her mind went to darker places. Maybe he was dead? Maybe those freaks killed him? Klaus was the only sibling, aside from Five and Ben, who had shown her any real kindness since the funeral and she didn't want to lose that. After asking all her other siblings she had been able to get ahold of, she called the police department.

 

“Hello, this is Oliver Dutch, what seems to be the problem?”

 

“Hi, um, my name is Vanya Hargreeves and my brother is missing, I haven't seen him since last afternoon.”


	15. Chapter Fourteen- Twenty Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus is fed up with Hazel and Cha-Cha.

Klaus was really good at controlling his emotions. The only time he ever lost control was when Ben had died. No matter how good his control over his emotions was, there was a line that he couldn’t cross and the longer he stayed in this motel room, the closer he got to this line. Once his kidnappers realized that Vanya’s book was no help to them in torturing him they decided to starve, dehydrate, electrocute, and all-around bore and arouse him to  _ death _ . Right now, Klaus sat idly while Hazel and Cha-Cha talked. He whistled and looked at the ghosts who surrounded him. They weren’t screaming so he let them in.

 

Even though all the ghosts were mangled and spoke different languages his power allowed him to understand and talk to them in said tongue and they all told him about how Hazel and Cha-Cha had killed them without mercy. He had been talking with the ghosts all on and off for a while and it seemed to really piss the two assassins off.

 

“Wenn sie mich wieder berühren, werde ich sie töten.*” He grumbled, glaring daggers at their reflections in the window. He was happy to be fluent in German, he could talk as much as he wanted and they would never have a damn clue what he was saying. Ben laughed.

 

“What was that?!” He heard Cha-Cha snap. He repeated what he had said louder, his white pupils bore into her eyes as she stepped in front of him. The combination of his dark curls that stuck up in every direction, his white pupils, and the scars that took up a good portion of his face made him look like some feral creature. Cha-Cha simply glared back with the same intensity, drew her hand back, and went to backhand him. But before she could a book flew across the room and hit her, causing her to stumble slightly. She turned her glare to her companion.  “What the fuck was that about Hazel?”

 

“What was what about?” He asked between two bites of donut.

 

“You threw a damn book at me!” Hazel just looked confused at his partner’s words.

 

“I didn’t do anything.” Klaus snickered and  _ that _ caught their attention.

 

“Did you do it you little shit?” Cha-Cha snarled, Klaus only responded with a shit-eating grin.

 

“I can't throw things. I’m bound to the chair.” He stated innocently.

 

“Is your brother here?”

 

“Well, dear, you’ll have to be a tad more specific there. I have 5, counting the one that does a double job.” The woman pinched the bridge of her nose, almost looking like Five did whenever Klaus said shit like that. He tried not to smile.

 

“Is Number Five here?” Their gazes locked and Klaus smiled innocently.

 

“Maaaaybe. How about… we play twenty questions! Tell the truth only, I'll know if you're lying.” He winked, grunting as Cha-Cha backhanded him.

 

“Hold on…” Hazel spoke up. “Maybe we can get some information out of him.”

 

“How do you know he’ll tell the truth?”

 

“You lot have bored me half to death already and this room is getting a bit stuffy with all the ghosts. I'm just ready to leave, I have things I need to do especially because of my stupid fucking ghost brother.” Klaus glared at Ben, who was lounging on the bed. He smiled innocently.

 

“ _ What? Little old me? I didn't do anything wrong, dearest brother of mine~ _ ” Klaus groaned and rocked the chair.

 

“Ben, you're so fucking lucky I can't punch you.” Hazel cleared his throat.

 

“We know how to find you. If we find out you're lying, you're dead.” Cha-Cha snarled. Klaus rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Let's get this show on the road, hm?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: If they touch me again, I will kill them.


	16. Chapter Fifteen - Blast From The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Ben come back and Vanya is gay with her girlfriend. Featuring Horse the cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sksiidhs I'm illiterate and couldn't spell fifteen so my editor fixed it

Knowing that the police were still clueless about Klaus and his current location made Vanya really nervous. To make things worse, she’d run out of her medicine and couldn't find her refill. She tried to go along with her days as best as she could. This whole situation lent her to spend more time with Leonard. She had even started, per his request, teaching him violin. He was alright company so she didn’t really mind.

 

He was a bit weird, she could tell that he was trying to flirt with her but she did her best to ignore it and laugh it off. She was too nice to tell him she was a lesbian. After hanging out with Ellie for some time, they had officially started dating

.

Right now, she was cuddling happily with Ellie on the couch in her apartment as they watched a rom-com. Movies were something relatively new to Vanya, as her and her siblings weren’t allowed to watch them as kids. Reginald didn't allow anything that seemed even remotely fun. A large brown and cream cat with mismatched eyes sat across their laps, purring loudly as Ellie ran her fingers through his fur. Horse, the cat, had more-or-less adopted Vanya as his owner, but she didn't really mind.

 

A knock on the door suddenly disrupted their time. A coconut scent lingered behind Ellie as she stood up to get the door.

 

“I’ll get it.” She opened the door and tilted her head. “Hello? Can I help you?”

 

“Hi, I’m Leonard. I have violin lessons with Vanya today?” Ellie frowned and looked at Vanya, who was busy shoving Horse off of her lap.

 

“Oh, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot.” Vanya tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear. She walked over to the door.

 

“Do you want me to stay?” Ellie asked, her freckled hand placed on Vanya’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort. Vanya had disclosed the fact that Leonard made her uncomfortable with all of his advances and flirting. She smiled gratefully at her girlfriend.

 

“I-If you want to.”

 

“Of course I do! I love hearing you play.”

~

Klaus let out a shocked yelp as he skid against the sidewalk.  _ Well that didn’t go according to plan… _ He shifted into a sitting position, glancing at the suitcase he had managed to steal during his daring escape.  _ I hope that the lady cop is alright. _ He thought.  _ Now what the fuck do I do with this things. _ He looked at the ghost at his side, head tilted slightly.

 

“Well, hun. What do we do with this thing?” They sat in silence for a moment.

 

“ _ We could destroy it. It could throw off our scent. They  _ _ are _ _ looking for Five right? They might suspect he has it if they find out we’re back from the past. _ ” Klaus hummed and stood, dusting himself off, cringing as the scrapes on his palms stung. He picked the case up and started to beat it against the nearby walls and benches before throwing it into the oncoming traffic of the highway beside them, where it burst into flames after a car ran it over.

 

“Well, we got work to do. Who  _ knows _ how much time we wasted in the past.” He gave himself a once over and frowned. “First I need new clothes.”


	17. Chapter Sixteen - Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Ben meet Leonard and Ellie

It was around 3 in the afternoon when Klaus arrived at Vanya’s apartment, Ben in toe. Climbing the stairs, he grumbled under his breath about how the building lacked an elevator. He stopped before he knocked on the door, hearing a collaboration of voices inside.

 

“ _ Looks like her girlfriend and… some guy. You’re fine. _ ” Klaus nodded and pushed the door open as if he lived there. The chatter died down almost instantly. Before he could say anything, however, Vanya pulled him into a tight hug.

 

“Klaus! I thought you were dead!” The joy in her voice caused the corner of his mouth to quirk up. He patted her on the head. The man cleared his throat awkwardly causing Vanya to pull away and rub the back of her neck sheepishly. “S-Sorry.” She stammered.

 

“I guess I should've knocked, hope I didn't interrupt anything.” His eyes surveyed the other two people in the apartment.

 

The man seemed to be here for violin lessons by the looks of it, and even though he was radiating irritated energy he hid it very well. Klaus was almost impressed. He was scruffy and stocky in build. Nothing impressive, but Klaus didn't like his vibes.

 

He let his gaze move to who seemed to be Vanya’s lady friend. She smiled kindly at him and he couldn't help but smile back. He didn't even have to talk to her to know she would treat his sister well, which was good. Taking someone else out would just be a hassle especially if Vanya was attached to them.

 

“No, you didn't. It's alright.” The blonde girl replied from her spot on the couch as Klaus kicked the door shut with the heel of his foot. “You must be Vanya’s brother. I’m Ellie!” Yeah, Klaus liked her already. Not enough that he needed her to be included but he knew she could be useful if it came to it.

 

“Yup, the one and only Klaus Hargreeves.” He lifted his hands, showing off the tattoos he impulsively got when he turned eighteen. He tilted his head to the man who had been standing silently since his arrival. “And  _ who _ might you be?” He took a step forward.

 

“I'm Leonard, one of Vanya’s students and friends.” He showed no signs of discomfort, which Klaus found respectable. Maybe he’d be useful too. Maybe. He made his way over to the couch and flopped down.

 

“Well it is certainly a pleasure to meet you two.”

 

~

 

Five paced around his room, lost in his thoughts as he played with a piece of chalk. He had spent most of the day after he sobered up from being passed out in the library writing equations and possibilities on his walls and in notepads.

 

Grumbling, he fished the glass eye from his pocket and studied it carefully. This  _ had _ to be a clue to stopping it. He turned it around in his hand. According to the lab it was manufactured in, it hadn't even been created yet. He huffed and looked to Delores who was propped up on his bed. He stopped pacing, sure he was wearing a hole in the floor at this point.

 

“What do you think? There has to be more clues somewhere other than this eye. Thing seems to just be a dead end at this point.” He covered it, shoving it back into his pocket. He nodded after a moment. “I suppose you're right. We’ll have to keep working. My equations will lead to something, they always do.”


	18. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A note

Hey all, don't have much to really  _say_ but I'm sorry for the delay in the story! I haven't really been working on my of anything, but I'm trying to get back into the groove of things and continuing this story!

That's all, bye! -Mimic


	19. Chapter Seventeen - Falling into Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus reveals his big secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie! Been a while since our last update. Well, I got off my ass and decided to continue as the hype for Season Two dragged me back into the fandom by the scruff of my neck.
> 
> Enjoy!

Klaus was relieved when the two left. Vanya sat herself down beside her brother and smiled sweetly at him.

 

“I'm glad you're okay.” Her voice was gentle. Klaus waved a hand dismissively.

 

“I appreciate your concern, sister dearest. How about you tell me what I missed?”

 

“Well, I’m officially girlfriends with Ellie for starters!” She bounced her leg excitedly. “I also got first chair!” Klaus let out a gasp, fake but convincing. She beamed. “Yeah! The first chair, Helen, suddenly stopped showing up so I did an audition and got it! I was really nervous without my meds and I can't believe that I did it!” Klaus tilted his head, feigning confusion.

 

“You didn't take your meds?”

 

“Y-Yeah, I ran out the other day and I swore I had some refills in my butter compartment, but it's just butter.” She shrugged. “I don't have a prescription for a refill either.”

 

“That's a shame. At least you first chair without a hitch! That means you got the solo, right?” She nodded, smiling. “Actually, I have something to tell you.” She leaned closer, head tilted slightly.  _ Now or never. _ “I found dad’s journal and I think you might wanna see what's in there.”

 

“You… found his journal? The one he was always writing in when we were kids?” Klaus nodded. “Do you have it with you?” He felt a burst of pride at his success at getting her interest. He rummaged through his bag before pulling it out.

 

“Voila!” He chirped, handing her the book. He watched, almost giddy, as she looked through it. He studied her carefully as her face slowly morphed from focused, to confused, to angry. She looked up at him in disbelief.

 

“Is… Is this  _ really _ his journal? You're not fucking with me are you? I swear to-”

 

“Calm your horses, dear. Found it in dad’s office, 100% legit.” Her face scrunched up and they spent a minute in silence. “You alright?”

 

“Y-Yeah, yeah. I’m… it's a lot to process. All my life I've been told I was just ordinary and now I find out that I actually have powers? Why would he keep this from me?”

 

“Dad hated all of us. I mean, it says something about your powers being super dangerous. It’s just like him to suppress your powers and not teach you how to control them, I mean, the old bastard locked me with ghosts when I was eight.” Vanya looked down sheepishly. 

 

“Yeah… I guess you're right…” She fidgeted with her sleeve. “I… thanks for showing me, Klaus.” She looked up and gave him a warm smile. Another win. “But how am I supposed to even cope with knowing this? My whole life has been a lie.” Vanya was growing more and more distressed.

 

“Don't worry, dearest sister of mine, I’m sure we’ll be able to help you out.” Everything was falling into place.

~

Allison was growing worried. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of Vanya since what happened at the Academy a few days ago. Hell, she hadn't even seen Klaus since then. She noticed her siblings growing concerned as well.

 

With the end of the world coming soon, they needed to find them. The full force of the Umbrella Academy was needed if anything was to be done.


	20. Chapter Eighteen - Family Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Ben uncover more information and Five yells at his siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I can't thank you guys enough for all the love and support you all leave on the story. From the prologue to here, re-reading your comments and looking at the kudos all you kind souls have left for me.
> 
> Thank you all so much, it pushes me forward to make more of this story.

“Sucks the old bastard didn't give us much to go off of.” Klaus muttered. All that they knew was her powers were somehow connected to sound. He furrowed his brow as he continued to flip through the journal, trying to find  _ something _ of use. A frustrated growl rumbled in his throat and tilting his head to look at Ben, who was on Klaus’ dresser.

 

“ _ You sure he didn’t like, encrypt anything? _ ” Klaus cocked his head and Ben continued, “ _ I mean, he never let anyone  _ _ touch _ _ that book, let alone read through it. Maybe he had a failsafe. _ ”

 

“A likely theory, Benny dearest.” He hummed. “But where would we even  _ begin _ that search? Time’s-a-ticking, after all.”

 

“ _ We still got the case, don't we? Maybe there’s something in there. _ ” The ghost suggested, eyes focusing under Klaus’ bed. He hummed in agreement, shifting off of his comfy bed. He was grateful for the fact that he had his own apartment, his bed at the Academy wasn’t comfortable in the slightest. He pulled the case from under his bed and clicked it open, beginning to shuffle through the papers and whatever other junk was in there.

 

“Aha!” Klaus held up a small pile of loose papers. Ben moved to sit by the other’s side as they read over it.

 

_ Number Seven’s powers seem to be able to manipulate sound waves when focused on one noise in particular. Number Seven’s powers are also attached to her emotions and seem to affect more things than just sound (eg wind, rain, storms, shattering glass, etc) depending on her mood while using her powers. Number Seven must have complete concentration if she is to master her powers and keep them from harming others when she is angry. _

 

“That’s sorta useful…” Klaus mused. “Let’s go scope out a place to train.”

 

~

 

“What do you mean you don’t know where they are?!” Five snapped, glaring at his siblings.

 

“I haven’t been able to contact Vanya since the incident here and we haven’t seen Klause for God knows how long!” Allison’s voice was wavering and laced with worry as she paced. She was extremely concerned about her siblings.

 

“Klaus usually wanders off but not for this long.” Diego added. While not as panicked as Allison, he was definitely worried as well, they all were. 

 

“Great! Just great!” Five threw his hand up. “We’ll need  _ everyone _ if we even want to stand a chance against whatever is going to cause this!” He pinched the bridge of his nose, a growl rising in his throat. This was too frustrating, they didn’t have  _ time _ for this. April was approaching fast. They didn’t have very much time left.

 

“Let’s ask around,” Luther said. “I’m sure someone’s seen them or knows where they are.” Five stilled his pacing, and Luther was sure he wore a hole into the floor.

 

“Hazel and Cha-Cha are still out there. They’re looking for their suitcase, no doubt. We need to do something about them too.” His gaze flickered to Diego. “How’s your friend, by the way? She could help us look if she’s in the condition to.”

 

“She’s a bit worse for wear, but recovering quick enough. It’s a good thing the police got there when they did…” Diego paused for a moment. “She can probably give us some information about everything, but she’s in no shape to do anything else.”

 

“Alright. Let’s split up, Diego and I will take care of Hazel and Cha-Cha. You two will ask around about Klaus and Vanya. Are we clear?”

 

“Crystal.” The other siblings replied.

 

“Good. Let’s get a move on. We’re losing time by the second.”


	21. Chapter Nineteen - Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date gone wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try to get better at semi-regular updates cause I have up to chapter 22 written lmao

Vanya was getting better at controlling her nerves and was more excited than nervous for once. She was going out on a date with Ellie tonight, just getting some drinks, nothing too fancy. She had been pretty stressed recently; finding out she had powers, the training she was doing with Klaus, violin lessons and rehearsal, Leonard’s non-stop advantages, waitressing… She was happy to spend a night with her girlfriend, get drunk, go to Ellie’s house and see what happened from there. Ellie picked her up, and they chatted throughout the car ride. The bar wasn’t as crowded as most nights, which was good. Vanya  _ really _ hated crowds. 

 

The night went on smoothly, the two of them getting a tad tipsy before deciding to head back to Ellie’s house.

 

As they left the bar, fingers locked together and giggles bubbling from their throats, they noticed a few men leaning on Ellie’s car, crushed beer cans littering the ground around them. Vanya felt the annoyance building up in her gut, doing her best to push it down.

 

“Hey, that’s our car.” Ellie spoke. The group of men looked over to them. One rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah? Well we’re using it at the moment.” One grunted. Vanya let out a soft groan, she didn’t want to deal with this. 

 

“Well, go find someone else’s car to drink on.” Ellie crossed her arms, ever assertive.

 

“Well, we like  _ this _ one better.” Spat one man. Vanya raked her brain, she knew that voice. It belonged to Leonard, didn’t it? As she caught a glimpse of him, her suspicions were correct. Her eyes widened.

 

“Come on, no need to be an asshole.” Vanya said, holding down her growing anger like Klaus taught her to. Vanya began to walk to the front seat when one of the men grabbed her butt.

 

“Hey!” Ellie exclaimed. “Leave her alone!” The biggest man in the group laughed, walking over to her.

 

“Yeah, what are you going to do about it?” He snarled, shoving her to the ground. She let out a shocked yelp as she hit the concrete. As Vanya moved to protect her, she was held against the car by one of the men. She watched helplessly as they began to kick Ellie.

 

The sounds around her got louder, louder, louder until she could only hear the roar of a running engine. Wind whipped around them, rain pouring and thunder booming. She felt… something building within her, and before she knew it it boiled over. A shockwave erupted from her body, flinging the men away from her and her girlfriend. She vaguely registered the men flying into the side of the bar and a parked truck. She wasn't sure where Leonard went, but she couldn’t care less at the moment as she rushed over to Ellie.

 

~

 

Klaus looked to his phone as it began to ring, Vanya. He answered quickly.

 

“Hey, sis, what’s up?” He asked, frowning as he heard her panicked breathing.

 

“E-Ellie’s hurt! We got attacked!” Her voice was shaky and hoarse, she let out a sob and Klaus sat up immediately.

 

“Okay, I’m on my way. Where are you? What bar did you go to?”

 

“Mink, in the parking lot.” That was all the information Klaus needed before he and Ben set off.


	22. Chapter Twenty - Death, Thrice Drawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alternative title: Vibe Check

Klaus was surprised he didn’t get pulled over from how much he was speeding. The car skidded to a halt as he reached the parking lot. He jumped out of the driver’s seat and rushed to his sister. His white pupils widened at the site of Ellie, on the ground and bloody. Vanya looked up at him, tears cascading down her face.

 

“Come on,” He picked Ellie up. “Let’s get to a hospital.” He ushered his sister into the back of the car, laying Ellie down as well before he sped to the closest hospital he could think of.

 

Vanya spent the night there, Klaus promising to check in later. According to the doctors, her condition wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been and she should recover within a few days. Vanya was relieved to hear the news. Klaus couldn’t help but ask who did this, and when she revealed that it was Leonard he knew what he had to do.

 

The plan was simple, and he was fine with adding a third kill to his count. Reginald and Helen were easy to take care of after all. It was no issue finding out his address, and it was even less of an issue finding a blunt object to strike him with. 

 

The pipe he held in his hands was rusted in places, his grip on it tightened as he waited in a cabin far out of the city. He knew that Leonard would be coming, perhaps upset over his loss at the bar.

 

The creaking of the front door opening snapped Klaus to attention. Leonard stepped in and before he had the chance to react, Klaud attacked.

 

“Vibe check!” He swung with all his might, a sickening crack echoing throughout the house followed by a thud. Klaus needed to make sure he was dead, especially since he tried to interfere with his plans. 

 

He bashed and swung until not only the pipe but the floor and his clothing were covered in blood and brain matter.  _ That should do the trick _ . He thought, walking into the shower to clean up. One problem down.


	23. Authors Note

Hey I'm not dead but I'm just letting y'all know this story is going on a bit of a hiatus because I kinda fell out of TUA but it'll most defiantly be back on track in a bit. The next chapter until then will be a Christmas present to you all, or a thank you present if you don't celebrate Christmas, for so much positive feedback on my story. Without your support there's no way I would be able to continue this story from the earliest chapters. You have made this all possible and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Holidays, everyone. ~Mimic


	24. Chapter Twenty One - Twisted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison goes to investigate an abandoned lot and meets Klaus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you're celebrating well and being safe. I suppose this could be considered the climax of the story. Enjoy!

Allison pulled her coat tighter around herself, braving the cold wind that whipped around her violently. She was on her way to an abandoned lot, one person told her they saw Vanya around.

 

She couldn't help but wonder what her sister would be doing here, this place was probably crawling with all types of dangers. Homeless people who could be violent, drug dealers, feral animals, the list could go on…

 

As she walked into the lot, decrepit buildings looming overhead that threatened to sway with the force of the wind, she heard what sounded like… a violin? Vanya was definitely here, and Allison needed to find her.  _ Why is she practicing here? _ Allison thought. She began to look around, deciding that inside the buildings would be a good bet.

 

It felt like an eternity before she heard voices. She quickened her pace, opening a door to a (mostly) empty room. The only things she found there was some litter and Klaus, talking to an empty space to his right.  _ Ben _ , Allison guessed. The creaking of the door drew Klaus’ attention to her.

 

“What an odd place for you to venture to.” He said simply, leaning against a wall. She stepped inside, standing a bit away from Klaus.

 

“I’m actually looking for you and Vanya… do you know where she is?” Confusion covered her face as Klaus rolled his eyes. She caught a glint of metal in his hand. A pocket knife?

 

“She’s busy.” He replied curtly.

 

“Can it wait? I mean, it’s pretty important.” She tried not to flinch as Klaus’ eyes bore into her, white pupils unsettling while paired with his messy hair, which was also being blown around by the wind. She hated to admit it, but Klaus could be intimidating if he really wanted to.

 

“Ben, go check on Vanya.” He watched to the right of him before turning his attention back to Allison, eyes having softened slightly. “What do you need us for?”

 

“The apocalypse is on it’s way, Five said we need the full force of the Academy to stop it.”

 

“Okay? Why should we care?” He tilted his head. Allison was taken aback. Why wouldn’t he care?

 

“Don’t you want to save the world? Save your family?” Klaus scoffed.

 

“Yeah, whatever. Go back and tell them that we aren’t interested.” He stepped forwards, about to usher her out. “Seriously. Go.” Allison held her ground.

 

“Klaus, please… At least let me speak to Vanya.” He scowled.

 

“No. Leave. This place is dangerous, you know.” She shook her head and stepped forwards, vaguely registering the growl that seemed to bubble from the other’s throat. “I’m serious, sister dearest. Leave before you get hurt.”

 

“I'm not leaving until you let me see her. I might not be able to change your mind but maybe…” She paused, waiting for a response. When none came, she decided to ask a question that had been on her mind since she arrived in the abandoned lot. “Do you know why there's so much wind…?” Klaus smiled.

 

“It’s Vanya! Isn't it wonderful?” She tilted her head.

 

“What do you mean it's Vanya?”

 

“Why, she has powers, dear sister! I've been helping her practice them. It seems like nobody else seemed to care about the fact that she had powers laying dormant.” Allison was silent for a long moment, a fuzzy memory surfacing in her mind. 

 

_ “Number Three, you are to tell Number Seven that she is just ordinary. Do you understand?” Reginald said, voice leaving no room for argument. Allison nodded slowly and down into the basement they went. Reginald had said Vanya was very sick. Allison waited for Reginald to motion her to move. _

 

_ “I heard a rumour…” she started, “that you think you're just ordinary.” _

 

When she came back to the present, she was greeted by Klaus’ eyes boring into her.

 

“You just spaced out for a solid minute.” He stated blandly, an eyebrow raised. “Whatcha thinking about?”

 

“I… I remember.” He tilted his head to one side and she continued. “Da- er, Reginald, he told me to use my powers on her…”

 

“Well at least that bastard is fucking dead.” He seemed satisfied and Allison couldn't understand why. “He got what was coming to him.”

 

“What… are you talking about? He had a heart attack.” She reached out to put her hand on his shoulder but stopped.

 

“Don't worry about it. Come along, now. No need to stay any longer.” Once more, he attempted to usher her out of the room.

 

“W-Wait can I please talk to Vanya?”

 

“She’s busy, can't you hear?” His eyes glinted dangerously.

 

“Klaus, ple-” Before she was able to finish, Klaus raised his pocket knife and slashed her throat, aiming to kill. Blood began to strangle her, she fell to the floor, gurgles being the only thing escaping her throat as she tried to speak.


	25. Chapter Twenty Two - Bloody Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't go exactly as planned.

He missed his exact mark. He aimed for the jugular, missing by maybe a few inches at best. He blinked.  _ Probably should save her… _ He thought. Wrapping a cloth around her neck, applying pressure, he headed out, shooting Vanya a quick text. He picked his sister up, and began to rush home.

 

He pounded on the door, mimicking panic and fear, summoning tears to cascade down his face. Luther was the one to open the door, his eyes widened and he took Allison from Klaus’ arms, rushing her to the infirmary. Grace noticed Allison’s condition, and quickly got to work.

 

“Klaus, how did this happen?” Luther demanding, voice dripping with panic. Klaus sniffled and wiped his eyes, holding back a false sob.

 

“Sh-She got attacked by a homeless person in the abandoned lot! I was l-looking for Vanya and, and I heard her scream!” He yelped, effortlessly breaking down into sobs.

 

“I’ll call the other. They’ll want to know what happened… Why don't you shower, you’ve got her blood all over you…” Luther mumbled, placing a hand on his shoulder. Klaus sniffled and nodded, standing and walking to the bathroom.

 

“Aaaaaaaand scene.” He stretched, locking the door and checking his phone.

 

‘From: Vanya

Alright, I’ll take a break for now. Should I head back to the Academy then?’

 

‘To: Vanya

Go for it. You’ll get asked where you were if you do, though.’

 

This wasn’t going how Klaus expected but he could roll with it. Some twists and turns were nothing new. It’s not like this would put a dent in his plan. 


	26. Chapter Twenty Three - Ice Melt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison wakes up in the infirmary to an unwelcome face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updating! Might make this a good 25-30 chapters long.

Allison felt fear flood her body when she saw Klaus. He was the only person with her in the infirmary. He smiled at her, eyes showing no signs of remorse. A shiver went down her spine, as cold as ice-melt.

 

“I mean, I  _ did _ tell you to leave.” He stated finally. “I warned you it was dangerous there, dear sister of mine.” She tried to speak but nothing seemed to come out. “Oh, yeah. I severed your vocal cords by accident. I guess that’s a good thing, no?” He snickered. 

 

Allison spotted the notebook and pen beside her bed. She snatched it and quickly scribbled down what she wanted to say, a simple ‘Why?’.

 

“No interference. I worked hard on this plan, you know. You would’ve ruined it for me, and I certainly can’t have that.” She grimaced at his sickly sweet tone. This wasn’t the Klaus she knew. She was almost certain he was replaced by an imposter. She felt tears well in her eyes.

 

“Oh, don’t cry, sister dearest~” He purred, wiping them away. He held back a laugh as she flinched away. “Oh come on, I won't be killing you. What would be the point in just putting suspicion on myself? I told you I worked hard to get to where I am now.”

 

She shuddered. ‘What plan?’ She wrote. Klaus looked beside him, a small frown on his lips.

 

“Well…” He trailed, a finger absentmindedly tracing the scars over his eyes. Had those always been there? “Vanya has powers, we’ve been over that part. However, her powers are more dangerous than anyone else’s. World ending, even.” Allison tensed, eyes widening as she started to understand. “Piecing it together?” She nodded slowly. “Good.

 

He lifted his head as he heard footsteps approaching. “I trust this’ll stay between us, no?”


	27. update

Hey all! Just letting everyone know that all of the story to this point has gone through major edits!

-Mimic


	28. Chapter Twenty Four - A Dangerous Path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, an update!  
> we're getting close to the end, y'all.

Allison has to stop herself from crying out when Luther entered the room. Klaus was still sitting beside her bed, though, his expression changed effortlessly into one of worry.

 

“She… she had her vocal cords severed… I don't know if she’ll talk again…” The falseness she now noticed in his tone sickened her. She saw him subtly watching her. She forced herself not to bristle in fear. This  _ wasn’t _ Klaus. She refused to believe it.

 

Luther gaped, and Allison almost swore she caught the glimmer of a tear in his eye, though it was blinked away as soon as it appeared. She frowned and reached for her notebook, feeling Klaus’ white pupils watching her intently. She trembled a bit and almost missed the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

 

‘ Vanya ’ was all Allison wrote. Klaus tilted his head, eyes holding a well-concealed glare, while Luther furrowed his brow in confusion. 

 

“Vanya…?” Luther looked to Allison. She sucked in a breath. She flipped the page and scribbled down another word. ‘ _ Powers _ ’

 

-

 

Klaus resisted the urge to maim his sister right then and there. Ben floated beside him, worried.

 

“ _ How much did you tell her? _ ” Ben asked, side-eyeing the other, though he didn't expect an answer right away. Klaus didn't answer him right away when others were about. His brother glanced at him briefly.

 

“What do you mean?” Luther was confused, and he had every right  _ to _ be. 

 

“Vanya… has powers?” Klaus asked, feigning uncertainty.

 

“ _ You’re good at acting. Coulda been an actor. _ ” Klaus’ mouth quirked up into a small smile. Allison slowly nodded.

 

“Did… did she do this to you?” Alarm flooded Klaus’ body and his head snapped to look at his brother with wide eyes. He was walking a dangerous line.


	29. Chapter Twenty Five - Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there, everyone!
> 
> I might continue the story after season 2 btw!

“Don't be ridiculous!” Klaus yelped in shock. “ _ Our _ Vanya? Who would cry when we stepped on ants as kids?” The cold look Luther shot him caused his body to tense.  _ A dangerous line, indeed… _ he thought.

 

“You never know what people are willing to do for revenge, Klaus.” Luther started. Allison quickly shook her head, and Klaus sent her an approving look.

 

‘It wasn't Vanya’ she wrote.

 

“Then it was really a homeless person? I mean… Klaus has been getting pretty close to Vanya recently and he’s not known for being reliable.” Klaus’ rage boiled under his skin, hot as magma. Before he could stop himself he lashed out.

 

“You’re always trying to pin shit on me!” He snarled, startling Luther, Allison, and even Ben. “First dad’s murder and now this?! How pathetic can you get, ape dick?!” A dangerous glint appeared in Luther’s eyes.

 

“ _ Klaus… maybe you should back off… _ ” He shot Ben a venomous glare.

 

“While I can't say much on the being into your sister shit, I can say you pining shit on me seems like a pretty awful coping skill! Dad’s death wasn't anyone, and it certainly wasn't me! Allison was attacked by a homeless person, I already told you! Or is your memory as small as your brain?!”

 

“Klaus…” Luther growled.

 

“No. I will not be pushed around by you anymore! Just because you can't get along with any of our siblings aside from Allison doesn't mean you can blame any of us for  _ shit _ !” He marched past Luther but he grabbed his arm before he could leave. “I suggest you let me go.” His voice held a venom stronger than anyone in the room had heard. Luther’s grip loosened in surprise and Klaus yanked his arm away.

 

Ben looked at him, concern painting his ghastly face and star pupils wide with worry.

 

“ _ Klaus…? _ ” His voice was barely above a whisper. Klaus grunted in acknowledgement. “ _ Are you okay…? I’ve never seen you that mad...” _ Ben scooted closer.

 

“Peachy.” Was his curt reply. After a few long moments though, he sighed. He could talk to Ben about this stuff, it was fine. A blue glow swirled around Klaus’ hands as he manifested Ben, leaning to move against the spirit.

 

“Ya ever notice how Luther  _ always _ seems to put the blame on me? Right or not?” Ben nodded. “It's so annoying! Not only was he about to ruin everything we’ve been doing these past few days, but even when we were kids everything was my fault because I was always high!” Klaus let out a groan of frustration, about to continue his rant before a knock at the door cut him off.

 

“Klaus?” Vanya.

 

“Enter.” The door creaked open and shut softly as Vanya walked in and sat on the edge of his bed.

 

“Hi Ben.”

 

“ _ Hey. Long time no see. _ ”

 

“What brings you, love?” Klaus gazed at Vanya, expression warm and expecting. She picked at the hem of her shirt.

 

“My… concert is tomorrow. It’s around noon.” Klaus smiled, though Ben looked uncertain.

 

“ _ Isn’t there supposed to be a solar eclipse or something tomorrow? _ ” He asked. Vanya gave a shrug.

 

“Yeah, but they said it wouldn’t be reaching us, otherwise it would’ve been scheduled.” The ghost nodded in understanding. “I was uh… I was wondering if you guys would want to come?” Klaus’ face lit up.

 

“Of course we would! Have you asked the others?” Vanya fell silent for a long moment.

 

“Should I?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Would they even want to come? They… they hate me. None of them came to check up on me in all the time we were training.” Klaus recognised the growing bitterness in her voice and his chest swelled with pride. She balled her hands into fists. “N...No.  _ No _ . They don’t deserve to come.”

 

“If that's what you think best.” He leaned back a bit, noticing too late that Ben had moved, and promptly fell on his back. He let out an annoyed huff, but smirked when he heard a giggle bubble from Vanya’s throat.


	30. small talk and a small update!

hey all, it's your amazing author Mimic here! our story is nearly at its end, how exciting! I can't thank you lot enough for your support, and this couldn't have come so far without it.

 

I wanted to let all of you know that the final chapter has been taking so long due to mental health issues and writer's block, but I'm feeling motivated to get it out soon!

On another note, I have a playlist for this series! [Give it a listen and tell me what you think!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1hGHTPN4OHrF3OcEfS71CF) I'll take suggestions too.

 

Another thing I wanted to get to is that I'll be editing Reginald's death in chapter one to make it more logical. I also wanted to know if you guys would want an epilogue and/or for me to make a second story for this series when season 2 comes out.  
  
Let me know in the comments, and thank you for being here as long as you have. It means a lot to me.

 

Yours,

Mimic


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